Desperately need help with oil passage question.

[Anonymous]

I have an 83 GS 1100. Just to the lower left of the oil filter, there is a 1/2" dia hole in the crankcase. I am assuming this is the oil return path to the filter cavity. Shoved in the hole is a 10 mm bolt with o-rings on it (It is about an inch long with a nut on the other end and 3 o-rings separated by washers). I thought this may have been part of a filter bypass system, but now I don?t think so. I can't find any mention of this part in any manuals or parts break-downs. Is it something that should it be pushed all the way in the hole and has somehow worked its way out? The bike has an after market oil cooler installed, so I thought it may have something to do with that. Has anybody ever seen something like this before? I'm don't appear to have any oil pressure problems. But if it's not supposed to be there, I want to and probably need to remove it. Somebody please help, the last thing I want to do is starve the engine of oil.

[focus frenzy]

well I am going to asume you are refering to a 1100E/ES (there are two differant 1100 engines for 83, E and G)

on the 4 valve E engine there are two plugs on ether side of the oil filter, these are for the factory bypass oil cooler.

older style aftermarket coolers are full flow and use a adapter that bolts on behind the cylinders where the oil presure/temp senders normaly go.

this may be what is on your bike.
I would change that bolt set up the PO installed, it is a leak looking for a place to happen.

[Anonymous]

You sound like you are familiar with this engine, FF. It is an ES model. From what I can tell, the factory setup was plugged on either side of the oil filter cover and did not come with a cooler in 83'. I think the previous owner added the cooler. It is connected to the two ports on either side of the filter cover. The 1/2 " hole that I am referring to is behind the filter cover right next to the filter. But, it has this funky, almost homemade looking, plug installed in the hole. I would be more then happy to take some pics and email them to you so you can see what I am talking about (picture is worth 1000 words, bla bla bla). Do you know if the models that have a cooler installed would have had a plug pushed in that 1/2" hole right next to the filter?

[focus frenzy]

woa!! that don't sound right.
I am not a expert on the 4 valve engine, my two valve G (shafty) engine does not have that.

[Pete Logan]

If you can post a couple of pics here someone should be able to help you.

Pete

[redliner1973]

If your talking inside the filter housing itself, no, that doesnt sound right either...

[Anonymous]

I'll see what I can do about getting some pics posted tomorrow. You really need to see this thing...

[Anonymous]

OK, here are a few pics.







The first shows the plug in the hole, the second is the plug by itself. As I thought about this a little more, I'm pretty sure the hole is the oil return path to the filter cavity. With that plug, oil is not being filtered but rather routing through the filter bypass, as it would do in the event the filter became plugged. Any takers???

[redliner1973]

So in other words, if you remove that filter, you will see the plug installed correct? If so, yes, it is bypassing the filter.

[BigMattyD]

That looks like some kind of homemade contraption to plug that hole.. It doesn't look like it's supposed to be there...

That's just my theory.

Matt

[Anonymous]

Tim, actually, it's behind the filter cover, not the filter. You can see it to the lower left of the filter in the first pic (at about 7:00, 1/2" from the outer edge of the filter).

Matt, it looks homade to me as well, I'm just trying to find out if it was something that maybe came with the after market filter.

Right now, I have removed it and the oil pressure light extinguesis when the bike is running. I think I will leave it out. What do you guys think??? Anybody else ever seen anything like this?

[Pete Logan]

Never. And I am no expert. But that is homemade, and nothing that stops oil flow is a good idea.

IMHO, of course

Pete

[BigMattyD]

One thing I can think of is that maybe this plug was designed to route oil through the aftermarket cooler, either properly by smart design, in which case the oil still has a route thru the filter,

Or in ignorance, in which case the oil is bypassing the filter and is a bad idea. If I understood the flow of oil through the engine, it would be easy to tell if the plug is a good or bad idea. Maybe there is a chart or picture available that details oil flow thru your engine.

Matt

[Anonymous]

My thought exactly Matt, some sort of plug to route oil through the oil cooler. I looked for an oil path schematic, but have had no luck. I think my only hope at this point is to contact the oil cooler manufacture (the name escapes me at the moment) and see if they have any archive application info that maybe recommends that plug. But I think that is the ONLY return passage to the oil filter cavity. If anybody else has seen something like this, please let me know. Thanks for all of the help so far.

[RacingJake]

The hole that is plugged is causing the oil thats coming from the oil pump to flow through another port hole thats near the bottom leftside of the oil filter cover. Since one end of the oil cooler hooks to that port and the other hooks up to the one on the rightside near the filter cover oil is still flowing to the oil filter.

Look inside the filter housing to the right and at the bottom and you'll see a hole, that's where the oil is flowing back into the filter once it's goes through the external oil cooler.

If you had the right oil filter cover the one with the dam you won't need that plug. If you ever remove the oil cooler and plug those ports you need to remove that plug inside the filter housing cause no oil is going into the filter assy or motor.

If you remove the oil pan you can see the two ports from the oil cooler and it makes sence.